Technical Guidance relating to

Playground Layout & Design

Produced by:
Association of Play Industries

In association with Kids and the Register of Play Inspectors

International
Introduction
The guidance given in this document has been formulated as a result of a
design conference held by the Association of Play Industries (API). Amongst
other issues, there was general concern that current procurement methods
were leading designers to locate equipment items as tightly together as
possible to reduce costs.

It was felt that some benefit could be gained by formulating general technical
guidelines for the design and layout of playgrounds that could be adopted by
the industry.

These technical guidelines will help ensure that all personnel involved in
playground design are working to the same principles.

RPII Annual Inspectors will be asked to adopt these guidelines when

undertaking annual and/or post-installation inspections.

Playground Location:
Sometimes there is little choice over where to site the playground and, even
then, there is little the supplier can do.

There is, however, a responsibility to draw the client’s attention to the

presence of matters that may form a hazard to the future use of the site.
These could include:

• Overhead power lines/electricity sub-stations

• Major routes
• Hidden/secluded areas
• Railway lines
• Waterways

Selecting Equipment
Equipment should meet the requirements of BS EN 1176. This may be proved
mainly by:

• A British Standard Kitemark

• A TüV mark

(Copies of certificates should be provided by the manufacturer or supplier

before an order is placed)

In some circumstances other indications may be accepted:

• A supplier’s declaration of conformity to EN 1176, in accordance with EN

45014.

• For some bespoke schemes, the standard could be used to form part of a
risk assessment.

All equipment should carry the appropriate identification label, but not
necessarily the ancillary equipment such as benches and litter bins.

© API 2009 Page 2 of 14 01.03.2009

Selecting Surfacing:
Suppliers should provide surfacing that has been independently tested to BS
EN 1177 and BS 7188. It should have the required Critical Fall Height
properties for the height of fall required by the equipment or recommended by
the supplier. Test certificates from a recognised test house should be supplied
or a supplier’s declaration of conformity provided. With BS EN 1176:2008 a
surface with test requirements is not required for low level play equipment
items, less than 600mm fall height, that do not introduce a ‘forced movement’
on the user. Items with higher fall heights or those producing ‘forced
movement’ still require a tested surface to reduce life threatening head
injuries to a child.
As an exception the use of Grass may also be considered up to a fall height of
1500mm, providing a suitable risk assessment has been carried out.

Equipment Layout:
The layout of the equipment will have a great influence on the overall safety of
the provision. For example, collision accidents (between children and
equipment and between children and other children) in play areas account for
approximately 34% of play area accident reports.

Free Spaces & Falling Spaces:

When designing the layout of the area it is necessary to firstly consider the
safety of the users of the equipment itself.

Guidance on these aspects is published in BS EN 1176 in the form of ‘Free

Spaces’ and ‘Falling Spaces’; but some confusion has arisen over how these
Free Space and Falling Space areas can interact.

The Falling Spaces have ‘Impact Areas’ that are based on the Maximum Free
Fall Height of the equipment; these may overlap.

Where there is a Free Space requirement (i.e. where the equipment has forced
movement, for example a slide, fire pole or swings) the Free Space areas MAY
NOT overlap with each other or with an adjacent Falling Space.
It should however be noted that BS EN1176 is not mandatory, and a risk
assessment could indicate that the Free Space and/or Falling Space areas
should be increased.

For example, a Spinning Disc or Rotating Pole 1.00m from a fence would meet
the standard but would not be safe and would attract a higher risk assessment
rating.

Circulation within the Play Area

The Play Area layout also needs to consider the safety of users who may be
passing through or around the area, but not necessarily using the equipment.
These safety requirements need to be considered in addition to the Free
space and Falling Space given in BS EN 1176.

Broadly, user circulation in play areas can be split into two areas of
consideration:

© API 2009 Page 3 of 14 01.03.2009

 • Children who are generally running around from one equipment item
to another. The circulation space that is needed to deal with this will
depend on the number of users that are expected to use the play
area at any one time. Therefore greater circulation space will be
required in a busy municipal area than a quieter rural one.

• As a general rule it is suggested that a minimum of 2.50 metres

should be allowed between two items of static equipment, with a Free
Fall Height greater than 600mm, to allow for circulation, and a
minimum of 2.50 metres between a swing seat and a static item of
equipment. The circulation areas may overlap.

Diagram 1.

Static to static minimum separation

2500mm.

The falling spaces can overlap as

shown in the diagram.

Diagram 2.

Static to Swing Seat minimum

2500mm.

Note: the dimension is to the swing

seat, not the frame.

© API 2009 Page 4 of 14 01.03.2009

Diagram 3.

Swing to swing minimum

separation 1500mm.

In this example the

positioning of two swings
shows the dimension from the
swing seat of one frame to
the swing frame on the
second swing

For all other moving items the specified (non overlapping) Free Space areas
cover the requirements for separation.

Consideration should always be given to the anticipated number of users on

the site and the circulation zones increased if deemed necessary. (There is a
big difference to the user space required for a small rural play area and a
‘destination’ playground)

Desire Lines/Routes:
Desire routes are the routes a user will most likely take in moving around a
play area. For a child this is quite straightforward it will be a straight line
between any two pieces of equipment the user may wish to play on. For a
carer or supervisor the desire route will be from the entrance to a position
from which they can oversee children at play e.g. a bench or seating area, and
from there to the places where the children are playing.

The desire routes of users should also be considered. This is where the natural
desire route from one item of equipment to another could be through the arc of
moving equipment.

• For example, placing a set of swings between two climbing frames would
create a hazard where users may run through the arc of a moving swing
and should be avoided.

Main pathways or desire routes to/or through the play area where supervisors,
baby buggies, wheelchairs etc. need to gain safe access will need separate
consideration.

© API 2009 Page 5 of 14 01.03.2009

 • The safety of these users of the area will generally require a clear
pathway or route through the area that is free from any hazards created
by the users of the equipment items.

Desire routes in play areas will be created, amongst other things, by the
positions of gates and seating and interlinking pathways between items of
equipment. NB: The addition of pathways is in effect creating a rule for
children to adhere to, encouraging them to use the pathways to move between
items of equipment.

RPII qualified Annual Inspector can provide an evaluation service for plans.

Risk Assessment:
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations require that all
playgrounds be subject to a risk assessment. This is the responsibility of the
playground Operator. The supplier; post-installation inspector or annual
inspector can provide a risk assessment for the use of the Operator as part of
his assessment – it does not replace it.

Playground Furniture:
ISO 50 and ISO 51, require that the playground furniture or ancillary items
need to be assessed for safety and the operative standard for this assessment
is BS EN 1176.

Gates: As a general principle these should take 4 – 8 seconds to close

from a 90 degree open position.

To prevent animal access they should open outwards unless

opening directly onto a footpath where they could cause a
collision.

Fences: These should pass the entrapment requirements: i.e. less than
89 mm between vertical paling's; no horizontal access, and hoop
tops should pass the head and neck probe. (Drawing)

Seats: These should be placed at least 300mm from the fence to

prevent potential entrapment between the bench and the fence.

Litter bins: These should be placed at least 500mm from seats.

Signs: These should be placed adjacent to each of the playground

entrances.

Cycle racks: These should be placed adjacent to the playground entrance

Pathways: Erosion resisting pathways should be provided into the site at

least to the seating areas.

© API 2009 Page 6 of 14 01.03.2009

DDA
The requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act in regard to access (i.e.
pathway and gate widths and gradients) should be considered for all new
sites. (See Appendix A for suggestions)

Inspection & Maintenance

The purchaser must be advised of the inspection and maintenance schedules
for each item of equipment. They should be advised that inspectors at the
three levels (Routine, Operational and Annual) should be qualified by
examination through the Register of Play Inspectors International.

Documentation
The documentation recommended by BS EN 1176 must be supplied.

Further information and advice

The API has set up an advisory committee to provide guidance where required.

Production
This document has been produced by Keith Dalton & Peter Heseltine (The Play
Inspection Company), Andrew Yates (SMP Playgrounds Ltd), Rob Davies
(Wicksteed Leisure Ltd) and Members of API.

Design for Play

Working with a designer to make the most of the available play space is very
important. These creative aspects of play space design need to be considered
‘hand in hand’ with the more technical aspects contained in this document In
2008 Play England published ‘Design for Play: A guide to creating successful play
spaces’.

We believe the Design for Play guide provides an excellent basis for creating
inspiring places packed with exciting child centred play attractions. The guide
presents 10 principles, encapsulated in one golden rule.

Golden Rule: A successful play space is a place in its own right,

specially designed for its location, in such a way to provide as much
value as possible.

The 10 principles underlying this design-led approach depend on all those

involved being able to imagine a play space that children will seek out, enjoy
and return to – remembering their time there for years to come.
1. Imagine a play space designed to enhance its setting.
2. Imagine a play space in the best possible place.
3. Imagine a play space close to nature.
4. Imagine a play space where children can play in different ways.
5. Imagine a play space where disabled and non-disabled children play
together.
6. Imagine a play space loved by the community.
7. Imaging a play space where children of all ages play together.

© API 2009 Page 7 of 14 01.03.2009

 8. Imagine a play space where children can stretch and challenge
themselves in every way.
9. Imagine a play space maintained for play value and environmental
sustainability.
10. Imagine a play space that evolves as the children grow.

© API 2009 Page 8 of 14 01.03.2009

Appendix A: Accessible play spaces for disabled and non-
disabled children

In general it is really important to understand that children’s abilities, in

general, are very diverse. When considering disability it is equally important to
remember this, and that it is much wider than physical impairments. It is
essential to think about all types of impairment (sensory, physical,
communication etc). Not all children use a wheelchair and a play space should
reflect this diversity and individuality of children and their play. That’s why it is
important to consult with local users including disabled children in the local
area to see what adjustments they could suggest to make the area more
accessible.

The DDA Act 1995 defines disability as any mental or physical condition that
affects one’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities.

These are activities which are carried out by most people on a fairly regular
and frequent basis. The term is not intended to include activities which are
normal only for a particular person or group of people, such as playing a
musical instrument, or a sport, to a professional standard or performing a
skilled or specialist task at work. However, someone who is affected in such a
specialised way but is also affected in normal day-to-day activities would be
covered by this part of the definition. The test of whether impairment affects
normal day-to-day activities is whether it affects one of the broad categories
of capacity listed in Schedule 1 to the Act. These are:

• mobility;
• manual dexterity;
• physical co-ordination;
• continence;
• ability to lift, carry or otherwise move everyday objects;
• speech, hearing or eyesight;
• memory or ability to concentrate, learn or understand; or
• perception of the risk of physical danger.

The key is to provide a space with a good range of activities. These should
provide a balance of 'easier' more accessible elements with those that are
more challenging. (For a play space to be truly inclusive it must include the
challenging items otherwise users looking for this will go elsewhere). It is
recognised that it will never be possible, or desirable, for all users to access all
equipment or other attractions.

As well as the children using the play space it is also important to consider the
needs of parents or carers.
Also getting access to space itself, if not thought out, can sometimes be a
barrier. Research has shown that it is often the route from the nearest parking
place to the play space that is the greatest barrier to inclusion.

© API 2009 Page 9 of 14 01.03.2009

The following are a number of thinking points that may prove useful as part of
a consultation process.

For those wanting to find out more about inclusive play design the following
are useful sources of advice;

‘Inclusion by Design – A guide to creating accessible play and childcare

environments’ published by KIDS.
[Link]

‘Developing Accessible Play Spaces – a good practice guide’ published by the

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
[Link]/publications/communities/developingaccessibleplay2

‘Can Play - Will Play’ published by NPFA (now Fields in Trust).

[Link]

© API 2009 Page 10 of 14 01.03.2009

Gradients:
• Ramps/pathways up to 2 metres in length can have a gradient of 1:12
(8%)
• Ramps/pathways 2 metres to 5 metres in length 1:15 (7%)
• Ramps/pathways Greater than 5 metres in length 1:20 (5%)
• Car parking spaces 1:50 (2%)

Clearance Heights:
• 2 metres is recognised as the minimum recommended height for
clearance of branches, shrubs etc. on access routes to avoid the
possibility of facial damage.

Handrail Heights:
• BS 8300 recommends 1000mm for the height of a handrail adjacent to
steps. BS EN 1176 recommends a height of between 600mm and
850mm for play equipment. For this document we have used the
recommendations of BS 8300, as it is primarily concerned with access to
the playground.

Width of Gate Openings:

• BS 8300 suggests 1000mm for the gate opening, but the use of gates
with 1200mm post centres is generally accepted as more desirable and
should be adopted for new playgrounds. (These will provide an opening
of approximately 1100mm). As well as the opening width it is also
important to consider the style of opening and accessibility of any
handles and latches.

Also remember that: No fences as all around the play area, if possible,
will provide easier access for children with physical impairments.

Gate Colour:
• Changing the colour of the gate to contrast with the fence will assist
visitors to the playground, especially those with a visual impairment, to
identify the location of the gate.

Width of Pathways:
• 1000mm is generally acceptable for the width of a pathway, but if long
distances (more than 20 metres) are to be covered then it will be
necessary to provide passing places and/or rest areas with benches. For
new playgrounds consider using 1200mm as the width of a pathway.
Paths to be even surfacing and well maintained.

Layout of play area: Predictability and ease to see the direction of

movement in the play area use visual clues with textures and colours of
paths etc.

© API 2009 Page 11 of 14 01.03.2009

Entrances:
• Entrances to the playground should be free of any change in heights as
these can present difficulties whilst manoeuvring prams, pushchairs or
wheelchairs. Keep an eye out for erosion or trip points in these areas, as
they are heavily used and susceptible to wear. The use of dog grids at
entrances is not generally recommended.

Sign Height:
• There is no recommendation for the height of a sign, but 1500mm
seems to offer good visibility for all users.

Sign Colours:
• There are standard colours for warning signs, for other signs use good
contrasting colours to make them easier to read, for example red and
green are most common colours people are colour blind to, so avoid
using. It is helpful to be aware of information published from the RNIB
as colour contrasting should be considered for many different aspects
within the play area, including paths and handrails, as well as signs.

[Link]
public_rnib003621.hcsp

Signs with bold large print, pictures and Braille will all help to
communicate with people who have different forms of communication.

Swings:
• Swings with rubber cradle seats are suitable for the majority of children
up to the age of 3.5 years.

• Swings with rubber flat seats are suitable for children over the age of 3.5
years, as long as they can maintain good sitting balance and sustained
hand grip.

• Full support style swing seats are now becoming increasingly available
that provide opportunities for inclusive use for those who require greater
body support.

• Consider the use of Basket swings, for example, to provide additional

types of swing activity that can be inclusively used by many different
children.

Slides:
• The majority of children can use single-width slides attached to play
units.

• Adult assistance may be necessary for some children with physical

impairments to get to the top platform and to get up from the end of the
slide.

© API 2009 Page 12 of 14 01.03.2009

 • It may be more difficult to access free-standing slides. Think about other
means of access to slides, rather than just steps.

• Some children with coordination difficulties can find double width slides
too much of a challenge. However wide slides can provide good play
experiences for some children who may need support going down the
slide. Alternatively the provision of standard width slides that are within
accessible reach for the parent or carer can provide opportunities to
support children. Therefore it is worth consulting with user groups of the
play area to see what type of slide would be most beneficial.

Roundabouts:
• Disabled children, together with their parents/carers, can access the
majority of standard roundabouts with seating.

• Adults can give children security and support, whilst allowing them to
enjoy the rotating experience.

• Roundabouts with surround support seating give children back support

and good handholds.

Rocking Equipment:
• Children with good sitting balance and sustained hand grip will be able to
use the majority of rocking equipment.

• Sit-in Spring Mobiles and Rockers with good surround seating are more
suitable if children need support whilst rocking.

• Traditional Rocking Horses allow carers to sit behind children and give
them additional support.

Multi-Play Equipment:
• Low level tunnels, play panels, games, shops and bridges, etc., can
combine with higher level activities to enable children with different
levels of physical abilities to play together.

• Children with physical impairments may require some assistance to get

to the upper level of this type of equipment.

• Features such as wide ramps, wheelchair transfer platforms and double-

width slides facilitate this or enable a helper to assist and provide
physical support.

• Use of ‘wheelchair’ ramps within the play equipment should be

considered very carefully. It is often observed that wheelchair accessible
play equipment has little challenge or play value to disabled and non-
disabled children although it is ‘accessible’. The play value of all
equipment for all children should be considered to ensure that
stimulating, challenging and fun play experiences can be had by all.

© API 2009 Page 13 of 14 01.03.2009

Produced by:
Association of Play Industries (API)
Federation House
Stoneleigh Park
Warwickshire
CV8 2RF
T: 024 7641 4999 ext 208
F: 024 7641 4990
E: api@[Link]
[Link]

With thanks to:

Kids, [Link]

Register of Play Inspectors International, [Link]

© API 2009 Page 14 of 14 01.03.2009